29,900 CHF
Dent, Chronometer Maker to the Queen, 33, Cockspur St. London, No. 29735, made circa 1885.Very fine and rare, Coromandel wood eight day going marine chronometer with power reserve indication and Dent's single staple auxiliary compensation balance. Three body Coromandel wood box with sunk brass handles, glazed upper section with hinged lid. Brass bowl and gimballed suspension. Silvered with Roman numerals, subsidiary seconds and Up-and-Down scale. Gold "pear" hands. Notes According to Anthony Randall, in The Time Museum Catalogue of Chronometers, 1991, p. 28, Edward John Dent was the first to publish an account of the secondary error of compensation, or middle temperature error, in the Nautical Magazine of 1833. He was also one of the pioneers in looking for a practical solution to the problem.On March 21, 1842, Dent applied for a Patent to be entitled Certain Improvements in Chronometers and other Timekeepers. This Patent, No. 9302, covered various designs of compensation balances and the invention of a Remontoire for use in Marine chronometers. One of the compensation balances became known as Dent's "staple" or "hurdy-gurdy" on account of the arrangement of "U" shaped bimetallic pieces carried on the ends of the cross-bar. Dent used this type of balance both for marine chronometersnd carriage clocks. Some of the earliest chronometers fitted with it, were used with great success for the longitude determination between Altona and Pulkowa in1843-1844. Dent was a Read more…
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
1999-10-23
